The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has used the national celebration of Children’s Week to remind everyone of children’s rights to privacy.
Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk said these rights, and the protection of children’s personal data made a key theme of the OAIC’s Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS).
“Parents are telling us they are concerned about their children’s privacy, even more than their own privacy,” Ms Falk said.
“While we want our children to be empowered to use the internet and online services, we also want their data privacy to be protected.”
She said key ACAPS findings on children’s privacy included that 84 per cent of parents believed children should have the right to grow up without being profiled and targeted, while 7o per cent were uncomfortable with businesses tracking the location of a child without permission.
Ms Falk said 69 per cent of parents were uncomfortable with businesses obtaining personal information about a child and selling it to third parties, and 82 per cent believed children must be empowered to use online services, but their data privacy must also be protected.
“Thirteen is the average age parents believe children should be able to consent to handing over their personal information in exchange for an online service,” Ms Falk said.
She said protecting children’s privacy in the digital era was critical, and parents could not take on the responsibility alone.
“We need to ensure that privacy safeguards keep pace with the speed of our transition to online life, and are appropriate for children,” Ms Falk said.
“Our survey shows most parents strongly support limitations on business and devices to protect the data privacy of children online.”
She said business needed to respond to these concerns and do more to meet community expectations by building in privacy safeguards.
Children’s Week is an annual event marked in Australia around the fourth Wednesday in October.
More information about children’s privacy rights can be accessed at this PS News link and parents can check the OAIC’s Privacy tips for parents and carers at this link.
